Horse-blanket.



' PATENTED DEGPZ7, 1904.

E. WELDY.

HORSE BLANKET.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 7, 190a.

ilnrrnn STATES Patented December 27, 1904..

ATENT Qrrrcn.

ELI \VELDY, OF SALEM, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO J OHN M. STILES, WILLIAM J. FREAS, AND ELMER H. SMITH, OF SALEM,

NEW JERSEY.

HORSE-BLANKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,815, dated December 27, 1904.

Application filed August '7, 1903- Serial No. 168,662.

1'0 (t/Z 'IIf/MH/b it many concern:

Be it known that I, ELI lVnLDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Salem, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Blankets; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to horse-blankets; and it has for its object to provide a blanket which may be easily and quickly applied and removed, which will fit snugly when in place, which will permit of easy movement of the horse, and which will require no external fastening means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a blanket which will cover the animal in such manner as to preclude access of drafts to the body of the horse.

As articles of this nature are usually made the blanket is open at the front and back, where it is provided with straps or tapes, by means of which the slits or plackets are held closed. The objection to this arrangement is that to secure a snug fit, so as to prevent the blanket from falling off, much-time must be spent in adjusting the fastening means, and for the further reason that there are permitted slits or plackets that permit of access of air to the chest or other portions of the body of the horse, so that the animal is liable to take cold. The usual front placket in the blanket prevents the use of a continuous or unbroken chest-protecting portion.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the blanket in the position that it will assume when in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of the blanket with a part thereof broken away to show the reinforcement or pad, as also the elastic strap at one side. Fig. 3 is a view showing the lower edge of the blanket with the elastic straps in their active positions. Fig. 4C is a side elevation of a portion of the blanket, illustrating the modified form wherein plackets are employed at the sides of the lower edge portions of the blanket. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the blanket is made.

Referring now to the drawings, the present blanket comprises a main body portion formed of a single piece of fabric and which body portion is shown at 5. In the manufacture of the blanket one longitudinal edge of the body portion, which in practice is the lower edge portion, is provided with a hen16, and cut from the upper edge portion of the body at a point midway between the ends thereof is a substantially semicircular piece, resulting in a correspondingly-shaped recess 9. The blank or body portion is then folded on its medial transverse line and the upper edges of the resultant wings or side members 9 and 10 are connected by stitching, after which they are provided with a suitable strengtheningbinding 11. Prior to stitching the upper edges of the side portions they are shaped so that the top of the blanket will lit the contour of the back of the horse. The end edges of the body portion are connected by stitching and are provided with a strengthening-binding 13, which connection extends from the lower edge of the blanket to a point slightly below the upper edge, so that an opening 14 is left, through which the tailof the animal protrudes when the blanket is in use. Below this tailopening the rear end of the blanket is convex or curved outwardly in a downward direction, so as to fit snugly around the hips of the horse. The cut-away portion described at the middle portion of the original blank forms the neckopening 15 in the completed article, and it is provided with a binding 16 at its edge.

\Vith the present blanket it will be noted that it is unbroken or Without openings below the neck-opening, so that the chest of the horse will be protected from drafts, and to further protect the animal a reinforcing-tab 17 is provided, which extends over the chest and shoulders, as also upwardly and over the top of the neck. The blanket is so shaped that it may be fitted over the horse with a certam degree of nicety, and to eliminate the necessity of any exterior straps, pads, or other fastening means it is only necessary to contract the blanket atits lower edge, so that it will fit snugly beneath the rear swells of the hips of the horse and beneath the swell of the chestof the horse. To thus contract the blanket at its lower edge, elastic straps 18 are attached at their extremities to the hems at the lower edges of the side members of the blanket, so that the portion of the blanket reinforced by the hernwill withstand the strains imparted to the blanket by the elastic straps and will insure snug fitting of the blanket. WVhen the blanket is off of the horse, the elastic straps hold the sides thereof in plaits or folds, which permit of stretching of the straps during the application of the blanket to the animal.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings there is illustrated an arrangement or, form of blanket wherein plackets 20 are formed at the sides thereof, and the elastic straps bridge the lower ends of the plackets, the edges of the plackets be ing provided'with bindings 21.

lVith the present constructions it will be seen that the blanket is held snugly to the horse in such manner that drafts cannot enter beneath the front lower edge of the blanket,

the blanket is held securely against accidental removal, and there is an absence of all attaching devices which require adjustment and are liable to detachment and loss.

What is claimed is A horse-blanket adapted to automatically adjust itself to the contour of a horse below the chest and hips thereof and hold the blanket in place, said blanket being closed continuously of its top and continuously of its ends excepting at the upper corners where openings are formed of a size to receive snugly the neck and the tail respectively of the horse, said blanket being open continuously at its bottom and having plaits extending upwardly from its lower edge at the sides of the blanket and elastic straps attached at their ends respecti vely at opposite sides of the plaits and adapted to hold the bottom opening of the blanket yieldably contracted.

In testimony whereof I aflix m y signature in presence of two witnesses.

' ELI W ELDY lVitnesses:

JONATHAN V. AoroN, Geo. A. GREEN, 

